Herb. No. 032 · Hymenochaetaceae
Boreal birch belt — Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, northern China, Korea.
Native · North America · Europe · East Asia
Native Also grown
OpenCautionfungus
Chaga
Inonotus obliquus
A charcoal-like birch canker simmered as a deep, vanilla-earth tonic — harvest with restraint.
Chaga is a sterile conk on living birch, not a classic mushroom. Melanins and betulin derivatives (from the host) define it. Traditional Siberian and northern use is as a daily brew. It concentrates heavy metals and cesium-137 in some regions; source matters. Taking whole conks from living trees can harm the birch and the fungus.
Flavor
Vanilla-earth, birch bark, and faint smoke.
Parts used
Sterile conk (sustainably sourced)
In favor
- Distinctive, warming brew
- Stores for years
Against
- Overharvest
- Oxalates — kidney-stone risk
- Contaminant risk from dirty forests
- Not a cancer drug